Bibby Stockholm barge: Man who lived on vessel in the past says it’s ‘cramped’ and ‘claustrophobic’
A man who previously lived on the Bibby Stockholm has described the barge as “cramped” and “claustrophobic” and doesn’t believe it’s a suitable place to house asylum seekers.
Glasgow councillor Ruairi Kelly said the vessel could “negatively exacerbate” the physical and mental health issues of those on board.
Mr Kelly lived on the barge while it was moored in Lerwick Harbour, Shetland, in 2013 and 2014, while working in the gas industry.
He described the barge as small with “cramped conditions”, adding that the rooms do not get a lot of light.
Mr Kelly told Sky News: “The rooms are only like 12ft by 12ft, so they’re quite small. You know that sort of claustrophobic [feel with] narrow corridors.
“It all feels very much like a ship.”
The Bibby Stockholm is the government’s latest plan to “stop the boats” and deter dangerous Channel crossings by migrants.
It is one of a number of alternative sites the Home Office is using to end reliance on expensive hotels for asylum seekers, which the government says is costing around £6m a day.
Up to 500 men will be able to live on the 222-bedroom barge at Portland Port, Dorset, while they await the outcome of their asylum applications.
The first group boarded last Monday but were removed on Friday after Legionella bacteria was found in the vessel’s water system.
It has led to one asylum seeker who was taken off the barge telling Sky the government is “endangering” migrants and treating them like “less than animals”.
Mr Kelly’s stints on the barge lasted around six months to a year while he was working on the Laggan-Tormore gas development.
He worked three weeks on, one week off, and said the vessel “was fine” for those who were on shift for 12-14 hours a day.
The now SNP councillor said: “You were really only on the barge to eat and sleep.
“If you wanted to go out, like for the weekend or to watch the football or whatever, you could go into the town.
“Which is obviously quite [a different situation] from being on it indefinitely with no money and no ability to work or anything like that.”
Mr Kelly said some of the workers found the situation “difficult in general”, adding: “And we were getting paid to be there and you knew you were going home to your friends and family at the end of your three-week rotation.”
Mr Kelly said the “cramped conditions” could “negatively exacerbate” the physical and mental health issues of those onboard.
He said many applications could take years to process, adding: “People will be coming from traumatic circumstances, potentially fleeing war or persecution.
“To have on top of all that be put in a situation like this – where you could be there with 500 other people in a similar situation from all different backgrounds and cultures – probably not a lot of thought has been given to what that does to somebody’s mental or physical health.”
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Mr Kelly cited the Park Inn stabbings in Glasgow in June 2020.
Asylum seeker Badreddin Abdalla Adam Bosh, 28, was shot dead after stabbing six people at the hotel.
An internal Home Office evaluation, seen by the BBC last year, found that Bosh had contacted the Home Office, contractor Mears and charity Migrant Help 72 times about his health and accommodation in the period leading up to the attack.
Mr Kelly said there was “a lot more support” and things to do in Glasgow, but it still ended in tragedy.
Speaking about the Bibby Stockholm, he said: “I wouldn’t like to think now what could happen on that facility.”
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Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has criticised the government’s handling of the asylum system, asserting that it’s ‘broken and needs fundamental reform’
The Home Office said the current asylum system is under “extreme pressure” and is costing the UK £3bn per year, including around £6m a day on hotel accommodation.
A spokesperson added: “The health and welfare of asylum seekers remains of the utmost priority.
“All asylum seekers accommodated on the Bibby Stockholm have now been disembarked as a precaution and moved to alternative accommodation.
“The Home Office and our contractors are following all protocol and advice from Dorset Council’s environmental health team, UK Health Security Agency and NHS Dorset who we are working closely with.”
England fans across the country have heaped praise on the team after winning Euro 2025, with a bus parade celebration set for Tuesday.
Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses took home their second Euros trophy in consecutive tournaments after beating Spain 3-1 on penalties in the final.
Chloe Kelly scored the winning spot-kick following two huge saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, after Alessia Russo scored an equaliser to send the game to a shootout.
As it happened: England beat Spain on penalties to retain title
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England fans celebrate across the UK
After England win, it was announced that an open-top bus parade will be held in London on Tuesday along The Mall, which will start at 12.10pm.
The celebrations will culminate in a stage ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace at approximately 12.30pm
Fans can attend for free, and Sky News will broadcast it live.
‘You’ve made the nation proud’ – Starmer
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was among the millions congratulating the Lionesses, posting on social media to praise the champions
“What a team. What a game. What drama,” he said.
“You dug deep when it mattered most and you’ve made the nation proud. History makers.”
The roof almost came off the Manchester clubhouse where Ella Toone started her journey
Nowhere was the roar for the Lionesses louder than in the Astley and Tyldesley Miners Welfare club on the outskirts of Manchester.
The club where a five-year-old Ella Toone started her journey to England stardom, like so many places across the country, hosted nail-biting, table-thumping and, ultimately, deafening watch parties.
The roof almost came off the clubhouse when Chloe Kelly’s winning penalty went in.
Red bucket hats emblazoned with Toone’s now-famous ‘Buzzing My Head Off’ catchphrase were thrown in the air.
“Absolutely ecstatic,” said Lorraine Warwick-Ellis, who runs the pathway development for women and girls at the club.
“I was very nervous, very worried about penalties but we did it in the end.”
The success of the Lionesses has driven a huge boom in the popularity of women’s and girls football in recent years. She hopes this win will have a similar effect.
“I hope it cements the girls who are already here, keeps them engaged, and I hope it brings more girls down who want to be footballers and see that it’s open for everybody.”
It had been a pretty sombre watch for much of the game after Spain took the lead – but it erupted into life after Alessia Russo’s equaliser.
The shootout was the usual emotional rollercoaster but young fans seem to have greater faith in the Lionesses.
Among the jubilant teenagers celebrating in the clubhouse were two who have followed Toone’s path to academies at professional clubs.
“It’s unbelievable, they’re amazing, Chloe Kelly, I just don’t know what to say about her,” said Natasha Greenhouse. “We knew if it went to penalties that they’d do it.”
Tamsin Gallagher said: “They’ve done it the hard way all the way through the Euros but we all believed in them. Come on England.”
The party in Manchester and around the country and only just begun.
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‘I am so incredibly proud’
Prince William and Princess Charlotte, who were in attendance at St Jakob-Park in Basel, added on social media: “What a game!
“Lionesses, you are the champions of Europe and we couldn’t be prouder of the whole team. Enjoy this moment England.”
King hails Lionesses… and calls for World Cup
In a post on the official Royal Family account on X, King Charles also sent his “most heartfelt congratulations on winning the Euros 2025” to the Lionesses.
“For more years than I care to remember, England fans have sung that famous chant ‘football’s coming home’,” he said.
“As you return home with the trophy you won at Wembley three years ago, it is a source of great pride that, through sporting skill and awesome teamwork, the Lionesses have made those words ring true.
“For this, you have my whole family’s warmest appreciation and admiration. More than that, though, you have shown through your example over past weeks that there are no setbacks so tough that defeat cannot be transformed into victory, even as the final whistle looms.”
The monarch ended his statement by saying “the next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can!”
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Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy added: “What an absolutely extraordinary achievement by our Lionesses – once again they have made history and united the country with pride and joy.”
Reform UK’s Nigel Farage said “well done” to the team and “what an absolutely fantastic watch,” while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “What an achievement. What a team!”
A man has died after suffering cardiac arrest onboard a boat attempting to reach the UK.
The vessel turned back towards Equihen beach on the French coast yesterday morning.
A nurse tried to resuscitate the man but was unsuccessful.
Pic: PA
French authorities have now launched an investigation into the circumstances.
A spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, has criticised authorities on both sides of the Channel.
Jacob Burns said: “Yet again we have a tragedy in the Channel, that is the consequence of the deadly, costly and ineffective security policies implemented by the UK and France.”
Pic: PA
Later on Saturday, a lifeboat carried migrants who have made the voyage into the Port of Dover.
Photographs showed them huddled under blankets and orange life jackets on board.
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Protesters clash over asylum hotels
Provisional statistics from the Home Office suggest almost 24,000 people have arrived on small boats in the UK so far this year.
Towns and cities across the UK have seen protests in recent days, primarily outside hotels believed to be housing asylum seekers.
Here the Lionesses are again. Another final. Another showdown with Spain.
All of a sudden, what was once so anticipated and longed for can start to seem expected rather than extraordinary.
What happened to the great underachievers of world football? They are now consistently among the final two going for glory.
At Euro 2022, the Lionesses ended England’s 56-year wait for a major trophy by beating Germany 2-1 after extra time. Pic: Reuters
No one is taking that for granted.
Especially not Leah Williamson, with the chance to retain the European Championship trophy lifted three years ago at Wembley.
“The opportunity of tomorrow and what’s on offer is the best thing in football,” the England captain said. “I think we don’t necessarily carry the weight of it and how much it means to people, but we’re aware of it because it means the same to us.”
So often they were only watching other nations making finals.
England’s first was the men winning the 1966 World Cup.
England v Spain: All you need to know
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Lionesses ‘know what win would mean to nation’
Then, with the rebirth of women’s football after bans and neglect, it was the Lionesses’ turn to make it to the finals – in 1984 and 2009.
And the Three Lions had to wait until 2021 to make it to a final, losing to Italy on penalties at Wembley.
It kickstarted an incredible run of five successive years of finals for England senior teams – with another men’s Euros final defeat in 2024.
The Lionesses have led the way, bringing football home by defeating Germany in the Euro 2022 final at Wembley.
They just missed out on going one better when reaching a first Women’s World Cup final a year later.
England manager Sarina Wiegman reacts to defeat against Spain at the Women’s World Cup final in 2023. Pic: Reuters
Lauren James looks dejected after their World Cup defeat, but is confirmed fit for Sunday’s revenge match against Spain. Pic: Reuters
Now, in Basel, comes the chance for revenge against Spain – even though no one in the England camp is saying that, publicly at least, in Switzerland.
Especially knowing how challenging a task it is coming up again against Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putella – the recent winners of football’s biggest individual honours.
England fans celebrating after England beat Italy to reach the finals. Pic: Reuters
Given England’s history against Spain, it could be a nerve-wracking time for England fans. File pic: Action Images/Reuters
But this is Spain’s first Euros final.
And there is some fear from the world champions at England’s grit and resolve to produce comebacks late in the quarter-finals and semi-finals – with 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang’s goals integral to the fightbacks.
England celebrate their semi-final win against Italy to reach the finals. Pic: Reuters
Michelle Agyemang has propelled England to the Euro 2025 final with two vital goals. Pic: AP
Spain captain Irene Paredes reflected yesterday on how the Lionesses can flip a result late on.
But she was also discussing how their World Cup win was tarnished by the on-pitch kiss that led to former Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales being convicted of a sexual assault on striker Jenni Hermoso.
It sparked a wider clamour in Spain for improved rights and respect for women.
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Spain’s players struggle for respect
“Since then [2023] we took big steps forward,” Paredes said.
“I think this idea is disappearing from society. I still believe we have to continue opening doors… we’re a reference for boys and girls in society, but we still have things to do.”
It is a reminder that while tonight is about collecting silverware, both England and Spain know that emerging as champions can drive further growth in women’s football back home.
Amid it all, they’ll try to savour just what reaching a final means and how rare they are – until recently for English and Spanish women.
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